Easier to Read BCD396T/UBCD396T Digital Scanner Manual
Programming Freqs/IDs into 'Groups'
Manually Programming Frequencies/IDs
Introduction
Again, the manual is like trying to set a watch made in China. My biggest gripe is that it doesn't follow the menus of the radio. So, I have written this manual for myself so I
can actually
use
the scanner and will share it with you.
I have tried to write my manual to follow the menu sequences as closely as possible so you can find things a little easier in the radio.
The scanner does have some cool new features: Scan
and
Search,
with Close Call Do Not Disturb,
, an adjustable 'Hold (scan) time' for each
system and search band,
(actually an old feature brought back), signal strength bars, and a
. The (U)BCD396T can hold about 6000
tagged
channels. You can store up to 400 different systems (if there is enough memory). The 'Automatic Channel Setup' allows you to enter a frequency without having to
change a step size setting. The
offered with the radios, the '
And, of course, computer upload/download/clone and control.
The '
' allow you to scan any combination of systems. There doesn't seem to be a limit to how many priority channels you can program. The sound quality is great
for a 'mini' scanner. When 'tone search' is enabled for searching or for a channel, it will search for CTCSS
and
DCS tones, not just one or the other. The Close Call and
features will run in the background
while
scanning and/or searching. An AC adapter, computer cable, and batteries come with the scanners. The
firmware is upgradeable for
. One thing to remember is that IDs go into channels also (no more scan lists). There is also the (optional; expensive)
for those of you that wish to hide your scanner in the trunk.
Now the annoying stuff. Dynamic Memory has its drawbacks because you have to build everything first
then
program it. Press
and hold
for 2 seconds to turn the scanner
on?? Press and hold Func then tap the scroll control to adjust the squelch?? Why the SMA antenna all of a sudden? No belt clip; a knob screwed to the back of the
scanner to slide a cumbersome rotating clip. Alpha tagging is best left to the software. Scans multiple trunking systems relatively slow even with the hold time set to 0
(especially if you have a lot of IDs programmed). The channels and IDs aren't numbered so they can be hard to find if you have a lot of them in a group. The squelch tail is
long giving a distinct 'chop' at the end of transmissions; not the nice clean 'click' of my Pro-97. There is no 'per channel' delay; you must set the delay for the whole system
(all groups, all channels). The bottom lit display isn't as bright as my BC246T or Pro 97. The keypad is probably brighter.
An overview of the features can also be view at my
Trunking Radio Comparison Chart
It is also recommended that you download and install the latest firmware upgrade for the scanners if you don't have it. See checking
. Another
recommendation is the freeware
. For those of you with a Mac,
http://marksscanners.com/396/396.shtml (2 of 51)8/17/2010 10:11:39 PM
